TWO ASSIGNMENTS FOR HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:
ONE:
Class, please make sure you are caught up on ALL past assignments and that everything that all assignments so far are posted to your photo blog. We are close to the end of the semester.
Copy/paste the writing assignment that is due for this week to your blog, also PRINT me a copy.
This writing assignment should be one page, double-spaced, 12 point font.
Take this time to also upload and work on any photos that you have not had the chance to add to your blog. I know some of you were behind.
Now, make a new post. Go through all of the photographs you have taken for class thus far and choose 10 of them. For each of the 10, write a six word sentence (explained below in the links) and post each photo and six word sentence under it. Take your time and BE CREATIVE. Look at these web sites for inspiration and examples about a six word sentence/memoir:
http://writing.upenn.edu/wh/archival/documents/sixwords/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18768430
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Six-Word-Memoirs-O-Magazine-Mini-Memoirs
For HOMEWORK TWO: Please follow directions below:
Please pick a photo project from the list below to work on for the next three weeks: you can choose different projects for each week or do the same project for all 3 weeks. 20 photos are due each week, even on Thanksgiving week. You can incorporate family things/Thanksgiving during Thanksgiving week as well. I expect 20 photos due each week and uploaded to your blog. All due by 12/5 class. (The first 20 will be due on our 12/21 class next week, second set of 20 are to be uploaded to your blog during the week of Thanksgiving and the third set (of 20) due on 12/5).
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS:
Do a 365 Project (or for our purposes, a 21 day project):
A popular idea that can produce some interesting results is known as a 365 project. In case you’re wondering, yes – the 365 does refer to the number of days in a year. To do this project, select a subject for your picture and take a picture of that same subject every day for one year.
This may sound boring at first, but your boredom is what will inspire you to create cool images. How many people could actually bear to take the same exact picture of the same exact thing for one year straight? By the second or third week, you will be dressing up your subject, putting unique background objects in the picture, and who knows what else. The point is that a 365 project is a great way to regain some creativity if you temporarily misplace it.
Photowalks
You might be amazed to discover how many interesting photo subjects are outside. Unfortunately, many people get nice cameras and only use them indoors or at special occasions. Take your camera outside and walk around. Take pictures of anything and everything that interests you. Try different perspectives and lenses to create cool effects.
Local parks, abandoned buildings, even traffic jams can become interesting photo opportunities if you are looking for them. Capturing Your Digital Life teaches you how to find beautiful pictures in everyday objects.
A – Z
A – Z projects are pretty cool. Basically, you pick a location and try to find an object that represents each letter of the alphabet. For instance, you might take a picture of a dog for the D and a picture of a fire truck for the F.
When this project gets really fun is when you get into letters that aren’t quite as commonly used. The Q is a good example. There are very few things you are likely to encounter in a casual walk that begin with the Q (unless you happen to walk upon a quail) so you might consider taking a picture of something that can be described with an adjective that begins with a Q. Quiet and quick are good examples.
100 Strangers
This is a project that has gained popularity in recent years although not everyone has the personality to do it. 100 Strangers requires that you look for random people and ask to take their picture. You can even talk to them to get some sort of backstory.
There are actually websites that allow you to upload these pictures and share the backstory with others. It’s an interesting and fun way to meet new people and take potentially interesting photographs. Who knows, maybe you’ll even make a couple friends in the process!
Pick a Color Project
This relatively simple project requires that you pick a single color and only photograph objects that are that color for the entire day. It may seem easy at first, but you will quickly run out of obvious subject choices and be forced to start looking for more abstract or interesting objects.
The advantage to a project like this is that it forces you to look at the world in a certain way. In the case of the color project, you are only looking at the color of objects without regard for what they are, what they mean, etc.
A variation of this project would be to pick a specific object. This could be anything from a computer to a baseball to a bird. Again, taking straight on pictures of these items gets boring quickly so the hope is that you will begin to look for abstract picture opportunities that you would normally miss as you look at the world from a more subjective perspective.
Black & White
This may seem boring on the surface, but many average photos can be made really interesting by shooting in black and white. You might be surprised by some of the images you capture when you only take black-and-white photos.
More importantly, this technique forces you to become a better black-and-white photographer; something that every photographer should be experienced with. After a while, you will immediately know if an image will look good in black and white versus color and you can apply this knowledge to all your future photographic adventures as well.
Scavenger Hunt
A photo scavenger hunt is a really fun activity that has you searching for interesting subjects that meet the list requirements. Although you could make up your own list, this project is way more fun when someone else makes the list. The scavenger hunt can be literal things or more abstract ideas like “loud.”
If you can’t find anyone willing to make you a good scavenger hunt list, there are plenty of them available online that you can download and use for free. This is a great technique to use whenever you get into a creative rut or when you’re just looking to try something different.
